"There's asphalt, concrete and whatnot in order to build the road down in. But it's an old quarry that needs reclamation, and it needs to be fixed," developer Pete Schraufnagel said.

Schraufnagel said the bald faces and eroding cliffs are unstable. His company will take 1 million cubic yards of dirt from the Zoo Interchange project to stabilize the site, providing revenue to develop the upper part with a hundred luxury apartments.

"We're trying to make the best of a difficult situation," Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto said.

Ponto said the city will pay the owners a little over $1 million to cut in half the amount of fill and the time it will be hauled in to ensure that there will be a 75-acre park there with hiking trails, picnic areas and a lake when it's done in about five years.

He said because of recent changes in state law, the city can't legally stop it.

"If this doesn't work, then we're open to a situation where as much, someone could buy the Sileno property, and put as much fill as they wanted for as long as they wanted and never turn it over to the city as a city park," Ponto said.

But it's difficult for neighbors to look beyond five years of truck traffic hauling in the fill.

"It's good for the greater good of the city of Brookfield, but for us residents that are right here all the time, it's going to be a huge undertaking," neighbor Katie Gerstmeier said.

The mayor said the luxury apartments would be built along Burleigh Street, which is already zoned for it, adding to the tax base.

The public hearing on the project starts at 7 p.m. Monday at Brookfield Central High School.

MARRIAGE. IT'S A MATTER OF WEIGHING THE BURDEN OF SOME -- VERSUS THE GREATER GOOD IN BROOKFIELD... WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FORMER GRAVEL PIT AND QUARRY COMES TO A HEAD IN JUST TWO HOURS. 12 NEWS REPORTER NICK BOHR IS LIVE AT THE 80 ACRE SITE NEAR 124TH AND BURLEIGH THAT'S SAT VACANT SINCE THE 70S... BUT THAT COULD SOON BE CHANGING. OPPOSITION HAS BUILT AGAINST THE PROJECT... AS YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF YARD SIGNS IN THIS AREA. THIS OTHER SIGN ACROSS BURLEIGH READS ... NO DUMPING OR FILLING... BUT THAT WILL LIKELY SOON BE CHANGING IN A BIG WAY. IT'S A STUNNING SETTING... HIDDEN IN BROOKFIELD. A GRAVEL PIT DATING TO THE 20'S ... HAS BEEN RECLAIMED BY NATURE. BUT, THE DEVELOPER SAYS THAT'S DECEIVING. THERE'S ASPHALT, CONCRETE AND WHATNOT IN ORDER TO BUILD THE ROAD DOWN IN. BUT IT'S AN OLD QUARRY THAT NEEDS RECLAMATION AND IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. PETE SCHRAUFNAGEL SAYS THE BALD FACES AND ERODING CLIFFS ARE UNSTABLE. HIS COMPANY WILL TAKE A MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF DIRT FROM THE ZOO INTERCHANGE PROJECT TO STABILIZE THE SITE... PROVIDING REVENUE TO DEVELOP THE UPPER PART WITH A HUNDRED LUXURY APARTMENTS. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST OF A DIFFICULT SITUATION. BROOKFIELD MAYOR STEVE PONTO SAYS THE CITY WILL PAY THE OWNERS A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO CUT IN HALF THE AMOUNT OF FILL... AND THE TIME IT'LL BE HAULED- IN... ENSURING THERE'LL BE A 75 ACRE PARK HERE... HIKING TRAILS, PICNIC AREAS AND A LAKE... WHEN IT'S DONE... IN ABOUT FIVE YEARS. HE SAYS BECAUSE OF RECENT CHANGES IN STATE LAW ... THE CITY CAN'T LEGALLY STOP IT. IF THIS DOESN'T WORK, THEN WE'RE OPEN TO A SITUATION WHERE AS MUCH, SOMEONE COULD BUY THE SILENO PROPERTY, AND PUT AS MUCH FILL AS THEY WANTED FOR AS LONG AS THEY WANTED AND NEVER TURN IT OVER TO THE CITY AS A CITY PARK. BUT IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THE NEIGHBORS TO LOOK BEYOND FIVE YEARS OF TRUCK TRAFFIC HAULING-IN THE FILL. IT'S GOOD FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE CITY OF BROOKFIELD. BUT FOR US RESIDENTS THAT ARE GHT HERE A E TIME, IT'S NNA BAU DERTAKING. THE MAYOR SAYS THE LUXURY APARTMENTS WOULD BE BUILT HERE ALONG BURLEIGH... WHICH IS ALREADY ZONED FOR IT.... ADDING TO THE TAX BASE. THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROJECT STARTS AT 7 AT BROOKFIELD CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.